Method of manufacturing sheet-metal receptacles or containers



Patented May 15, 1923.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT ora-TCE.

HENRY B. FINLEY, F CHATTANOOGA, 'JIENNESSEE.`

METHOD 0F MANUFACTURING SHEET-METAL RECEPTACLES OR CONTAINERS.

Application filed January 27, 1922. Serial No. 532,236.

` ers or receptacles made of sheet metal, and

more especially to those which are formed by bending a blank along certain lines toform the walls and then closing the joints by welding, brazing or the like. Receptacles or containers of tlie latter type were heretofore constructed with seams or sutures along certain of their corner edges. Where oxygen acetylene or other similar methods of welding are used, a very rough seam is formed, particularly on the inside. On account of its inaccessibility, it is impossible to prop; erly grind or otherwise smooth the seam,

since the grinding wheel or implement cannot reach the remote corners of a receptacle when the latter is, for instance, of quad rangular formation.

The paramount object of my invent-ion is 3" to overcome this diiculty and to enable receptacles or'containers to be made from a single piece of sheet metal to the avoidance r of any sutures or seams whatever along cor` ner edges, making all corner edges perfectly smooth and true, inside and out, and

placing the seams on a at surface where they are accessible for grinding and otherwise smoothing. y V

Other objects and attendant advantages will become readily apparent from the detailed description of a typical embodiment of my invention which follows:

In the drawings, Fig. I is a perspective view of the sheetl metal blank which I emf15 ploy inl reducing a receptacle or container in accor ance with my invention; and

Fig. II is a perspective view showing the manner in which the receptacle or container is formed from said' blank.

In carrying out my invention, I cut or otherwise rovide a rectangular sheet metal blank 1. hen centrally,.of two of its oposite ed es, I provide a pair of adjacently isposed shaped right angle notches 2, 2

of uniform size. The blank is lthen bent perpendicularly along the parallel lines 3-4 and--G extending through the vertices 'of adjacent pairs of the'notches 2, 2, and also at right angles to these lines along lines 7-8 and 9-10 extending through the versov tices of respectively opposite notches. In this way, the/bottom 11 and two full sides I -12--13 of the receptacle or container structure are formed in combination, while the tabs 14-15-16 and 17-18-19 jointly form the remaining two sides as clearly shown in Fig. II.` The parts; of the blank are preferably proportioned so as to create a butt joint between the tabsll-l-IG and the same between the corresponding tabs on the other side of the container, it being understood, however, that' if desired a, lap

joint may be formed by providing sufficient material along 'the joints to permit one tab to overlap the other.

In case a lip or top flange is desired on the receptacle 'or container, the blank is further bent along lines 20-21 and 22-23 at a distance from and parallel to the edges 3-5 and 4.--6 respectively. Incisions or cutsv 25 are made back to the lines 20w-21 and 22--23 to the depth ofthe flange margin in coincidence with the lines 3-4and 5-6 so as to facilitate the subsequent-bending operation. r

After the structure hasbeen completely formed as noted, the abutting edges of the tabs 17-18--19 and 14--15-16 are united either by soldering or brazing( or by fusion of the metal along the sutures as by spot welding, or byl fusing additional metal along the seam. In any event, a raised or rough` ened surface is left along each seam, and the seams are subsequently smoothed by the application of a grinding wheel or other implement. vIt will be seen that since the seams are all located on flatisurfaces at points located between the walls of the container. the seams are easily accessible. The flanging is made continuous by insertion of ap propriate corner pieces in the gaps 26-26 shown at the' front of Fig. II. After such pieces are welded into place, the corners of the Hanging assume the appearanceshown at the rear of the lfigure aforesaid.v v -Bv the foregoing methodaof cutting and bending, I am able to produce'in an extremely simple manner va receptacleor coni tainer which' it will be observed is entirely devoid of `sutures or seams along corner edges, the seams extending away from the corners and terminating at points along medial portions of the Walls. It will be noted that the point of intersection of the three seams is particularly accessible, which is an advantage as the ysurface may become particularly roughened at that point in effecting a closed joint.

It is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the particular form of blank shown in the drawing, nor the manner of forming any particular sheet metal container, except in so far as ther location of the joints are concerned, when said joints are to be welded, but I desire to include broadly the method described of constructing sheet metal containers generally which consists in ensuring the location of weldable joints on flat surfaces of the container where they are accessible for grinding.

If desired, a metallic container made inv `accordance with my invention may be finished by application of a coating of suitable enamel so as to be immune against the effect of corrosive solutions. Receptacles of the form herein shown are especially useful to photographers;

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

The method of constructing a receptacle 'i which consists in providing a rectangular sheet metal blank centrally in opposite edges with two adjacent V-shaped notches, bend-V ing the blank erpendicularly along parallel lines extend vertices of each pair of notches and also along lines at right angles, meeting the ver tices `of respectively opposite lnotches Without intersecting the sides of the latter, with production of the bottom and four sides of the receptacle having sharp corners, bending the perimetrical edges of the blank out- -wardly in opposite directions to form ing respectivelyv across vthe 

